The forced shutdown of a base station, initiated by the state regulator, came as a surprise to hundreds of citizens. As revealed during the investigation, the reason for such a radical measure was serious deficiencies in the security of the technical facility, which required immediate elimination.
The situation in the Lake Starnberg area escalated when smartphone users began mass complaints about the lack of signal. Sebastian Winkoop from Traubing clearly described the scale of the problem: even on the second floors of buildings, devices struggled to catch a weak Edge standard signal, while full-fledged communication was completely absent. The editorial office of Starnberger Merkur established that, by order of the Federal Network Agency, the operation of a key cell tower located on a farm at Garatshauser Straße was temporarily suspended until the facility was brought into compliance with regulations.
Facility security and official versions of the shutdown
Parallel to the failure in Traubing, communication disruptions were also observed in neighboring Pöcking. There, Vodafone was conducting planned modernization and technical maintenance of the equipment. However, the situation in Traubing was of a different nature. Lena Naber, a representative of DFMG Deutsche Funkturm GmbH, whose department manages the communication infrastructure in this area, called the incident a temporary shutdown for internal operational reasons, trying not to go into detail.
Nevertheless, a journalistic investigation shed light on the true motives of the regulator’s actions. During a routine inspection, the Federal Network Agency discovered a critical defect in the facility’s protection: measures to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the antenna equipment on the farm roof proved insufficient. To exclude unauthorized interference and ensure operational safety, the agency ordered the station to be de-energized until the situation was fully corrected.
Rumors, network expansion pace, and the municipality’s position
The prolonged absence of communication gave rise to many rumors among local residents — from air conditioning system breakdowns to the start of a massive tower reconstruction. Lena Naber denied information about structural changes, explaining that no work on rearranging the facility is currently planned. It is worth noting that each such tower provides coverage within a radius of only one and a half to two kilometers, so the failure of even one node creates a blind spot for an entire settlement.
The problem of a shortage of base stations in the region is felt especially acutely against the backdrop of rapid growth in data traffic, which reaches 34% per year for major operators. However, the process of installing new equipment is bureaucratized and requires great patience from all participants. According to industry representatives, three to four years usually pass from finding a suitable plot of land to commissioning the antennas.The Tutzing municipality has been trying to facilitate the improvement of communication for more than a year. Back in April 2025, the municipal council offered Vodafone and Telefónica a plot on Quellenstraße to check the possibility of placing equipment. Despite the authorities’ clear interest in creating a new communication point, the companies have still not provided a final answer, despite repeated requests. While operators conduct prolonged negotiations, residents are forced to hope for the uninterrupted operation of existing towers, the security of which is now under increased state control.
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